ERSU Messina Right-to-Study Grant
ERSU Messina is the Sicilian regional agency responsible for right-to-study benefits at the University of Messina, and its scheme is built with genuinely international applicants in mind rather than as an afterthought. The call sets out a specific route for students who hold only an identity document issued by their own country's authorities and are not resident in Italy — they access the reserved application area using credentials issued directly by ERSU, rather than needing an Italian tax code or residency history first. The grant is tiered by housing situation: EUR 7,171.11 a year for students living away from home or classed as independent, down to EUR 4,190.71 for commuting students and EUR 2,890.16 for those living locally, alongside subsidised housing and meal services. For a Sri Lankan applicant, the practical hinge is the ISEEU or ISPEU parificato — a foreign-income equivalent of Italy's means-tested assessment, calculated by an authorised CAF using your family's Sri Lankan income and asset documentation. Once you have a residence permit, you also need a photocopy of it or its renewal receipt as part of the file. Messina sits on Sicily's north-eastern tip, a short ferry crossing from Calabria, with programmes across medicine, engineering, law and the sciences and among the lowest living costs in Italy.
Annual cycle — the A.A. 2026/27 window ran 1 July to 18 August 2026, with the ISEEU/ISPEU parificato due by 16 September 2026; watch ersumessina.it for the 2027/28 call
ERSU Messina (Ente Regionale per il Diritto allo Studio Universitario, serving the University of Messina)
Government-funded
emoji_events Award Overview
Value
Up to EUR 7,171.11 (fuori sede)
Access
Dedicated route for non-resident internationals
Requires
ISEEU/ISPEU parificato
info How this award actually works
This is a separate, highly competitive application
Government awards like this one run their own selection round against applicants from across the world, and success rates are usually in the low single digits. Lanka Scholar does not administer it and cannot submit it for you. Treat it as a bonus on top of a funded study plan — never as the plan itself.
Who awards it
ERSU Messina (Ente Regionale per il Diritto allo Studio Universitario, serving the University of Messina) — not Lanka Scholar. We are not the awarding body and cannot grant, reserve or guarantee this award.
How you are considered
Through a separate application round run by the funder, with its own forms, deadlines and shortlisting. You submit it yourself — it is not part of a university admission application.
What it covers
Means-Tested Cash Grant Up to EUR 7,171.11 for Out-of-Town Students. Read the terms carefully: even fully-funded awards rarely cover every cost, and any shortfall is yours to fund.
Where we come in
We help you judge whether this award is worth your time, and build a realistic admission plan that works whether or not you win it.
fact_check Eligibility Criteria
A Dedicated Path for International Applicants
International students holding only a home-country identity document and not resident in Italy access a reserved application area using ERSU-issued credentials. This route exists specifically for applicants in your position, rather than requiring you to already have an Italian tax code or residency history.
Any Degree Level at the University of Messina
The scheme covers three-year laurea, single-cycle laurea magistrale and two-year laurea magistrale programmes at the University of Messina.
ISEEU/ISPEU Parificato Required
Non-EU applicants need an ISEEU or ISPEU parificato — a foreign-income equivalent means assessment — prepared by an authorised CAF from Sri Lankan family income and asset documentation, due by 16 September in the 2026/27 cycle.
Residence Permit Documentation
The call requires a photocopy of your residence permit or its renewal receipt as part of the file. Factor Italian permesso di soggiorno processing time into your application timeline.
Grant Tiered by Housing Category
The full EUR 7,171.11 applies to out-of-town or independent students; commuting students receive EUR 4,190.71 and locally resident students EUR 2,890.16. Work out which category applies to your living arrangement in Messina.
account_tree Application Process
Apply for admission and obtain the residence permit
Complete Universitaly pre-enrolment and your University of Messina admission application, then apply for your Italian residence permit once you arrive or as your visa process requires.
Register for ERSU credentials
As a non-resident international applicant, register through ERSU Messina's dedicated onboarding path using your home-country identity document to receive login credentials for the reserved application area.
Prepare the ISEEU/ISPEU parificato
Work with an authorised CAF to prepare the parificato from your Sri Lankan family income and asset documentation, ready by the stated deadline within the cycle.
Submit the application within the window
Apply between 1 July and 18 August for the following academic year, with your enrolment evidence, residence permit documentation and parificato submission on track.
Why the University of Messina, via ERSU?
The University of Messina teaches medicine, engineering, law, economics and the sciences on Sicily's north-eastern coast, a short ferry ride from mainland Calabria. ERSU Messina's dedicated international-applicant pathway makes the right-to-study system genuinely accessible rather than assuming an Italian administrative history.
EUR 7,171
Maximum annual grant (fuori sede)
Dedicated
Onboarding for non-resident internationals
Sicily
Among Italy's lowest living costs
Looking for a scholarship because of the cost?
Then start here instead. Scholarships are competitive, usually partial, and decided by someone else — they are the least reliable way to make studying abroad affordable. Your destination and course choice move the number far more, and both are entirely within your control.
Work out your real number
Tuition, living costs, visa funds and flights for your destination — so you know the gap you are actually trying to close.
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